Now that it has become apparent that the online grass roots enthusiasm generated by Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign has failed to translate into significant victories both in the voting booth and the Republican delegate count, it is time for the libertarian congressman from Texas to bow out with dignity.

Especially, after it has surfaced that the candidate known for his anti-government spending views has already missed 92% of the votes in the House of Representatives while campaigning for president.

Part of Ron Paul’s broadening appeal, and what helped differentiate him from his rivals in the Republican presidential primary, has been the candidate’s solid record, and views on government spending and the growth of the federal bureaucracy as the culprit for America’s decline.

Whether one agrees with his views or not, Ron Paul has always been perceived as a candidate who has been consistent with his libertarian views through the decades, even when it wasn’t a cool slogan brought to you courtesy of the Tea Party movement.

But the longer he chooses to stay in the presidential race while also holding his tax-payer funded daytime job, he’ll be doing a disservice to the legacy that he (and an eventual presidential run by his son, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul) could leave to future generations of Americans.

Paul’s stay in the GOP primary also would erode the credibility he got after all the awesome moments in the race when he called out his rivals hypocritical views, including when he infamously called Rick Santorum a “fake conservative” during the Arizona Republican debate.

To be fair, Ron Paul improved by almost all measures during his 2012 presidential run when compared to his presidential bid four years ago. More importantly, his calls for adopting more fiscal restraint and withdrawing from the long and costly Afghanistan War are making inroads, even in a party with long-held hawkish views on national security and defense.

But with the delegate math becoming steeper for anyone in the Republican race who’s name is not Willard "Mitt" Romney, the time has come for former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, and even congressman Ron Paul to step aside and throw their support behind the GOP likely nominee (unless anyone of them is considering a third-party, independent run).